Sunday, December 02, 2007

Jesus Cares About You!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, deeply cares about you. The Bible tell us He had “compassion” for the downcast and was a “friend” to everyone (Mk 6:34, Lk 7:34). As a person made in God’s spiritual image, you are of great importance to Jesus. He even knows your name.

As a Christian, I too care about you. I’ve given you this tract because I’m interested in your life and your eternal destiny. So please, carefully read what the Savior says about the needs of our soul. Your life depends upon it.

Listen to who Jesus says He is: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Without “the way,” there is no going. Without “the truth,” there is no knowing right from wrong. Without “the life,” there’s no real living. How startling! He says He is the only way back home to God. Either He is Lord of all and is telling the truth, or He is a blatant liar or a deluded lunatic. These are the only choices. There can be no neutrality with Jesus: “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matt 12:30).

So, He is the key to your eternal welfare. “He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son does not have life” (1 Jn 5:12). The critical issue is: Do you care about Him?

Jesus Offers You the Best

The Son of God helped create the universe (Jn 1:3). So, He knows exactly how we tick and what we truly need. He cares enough about you to offer a personal invitation to a life changing relationship. “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev 3:20). He alone offers the greatest quality of life known to man.

BEST LIFE: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).

REST: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28-29).

SATISFACTION: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (Jn 4:14).

STRENGTH: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger” (Jn 6:35).

PEACE: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful…. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (Jn 14:27, 16:33).

ENLIGHTENMENT: "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life" (Jn 8:12).

REDEMPTION: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45).

SALVATION: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. He that does not believe shall be condemned” (Mk 16:16).

FREEDOM: “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, `If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (Jn 8:31-32).

HOPE: “Jesus said to her, `I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’" (Jn 11:25-26).

Jesus Cares Enough to Confront Us

There’re many popular religious ideas about being right with God and going to heaven that simply don’t square with Jesus’ teaching. Jesus cares enough to challenge the mistakes in our preconceived ideas.

1. Jesus never said just being a nice person is sufficient to go to heaven. If this is true, then we wouldn’t need Him as our Savior. If sinful human beings could be right with the holy God of the universe by our own efforts, then His agonizing death on the cross would have been a needless waste (Gal 2:21). Jesus once turned away a good moral, religious man. He trusted in his own good works and also refused to repent of materialism (Matt 19:16-26).

God says, “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). All of us have failed to perfectly comply to God’s law. Divine justice demands the guilty be punished. Hence, we’re separated from God, and we need a Savior (Rom 3:23-26).

2. Jesus never said merely professing faith is sufficient. A Gallup poll found 74% of Americans believe in Jesus as God’s Son. Yet, Jesus warns those deceived by “cheap grace” and “easy believism”: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matt 7:21). A true believer renders life-service, not lip-service, to Jesus. He pointedly asks, “Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not the things that I say?” (Lk 6:46).

3. Jesus never said being an active religious person is sufficient. In fact, Jesus says the opposite: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Matt 7:22-23). Many active but deceived religionists will be shocked on Judgment Day. Their service wasn’t authorized by Christ’s law.

There is a “rock solid” way to be sure of salvation. We must care enough about Jesus to do exactly what He says in His word (Matt 7:24-25). “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). Respect for His authority means we must “not exceed what is written” (1 Cor 4:6). Faith that pleases God only “comes by hearing…the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). The doctrines and teachings of men cannot save and do not please God (Mk 7:5-13).

4. Jesus never said that a loving God would never condemn anyone to hell. Although God is perfect love (1 Jn 4:8), He is also perfectly just and holy (Psa 89:13). “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 3:23). “Death” means eternal separation from God. His holy justice makes it impossible for Him to allow sin’s rebellion to go unpunished. Jesus died as a substitute for sinners to satisfy God’s justice, that is accepted by obedient faith. “Everything is wrong until God makes it right” (A.W. Tozer).

Yet, those who refuse this grace must suffer the consequences of God’s judicial wrath. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (Jn 3:36). Jesus tells us pointedly to fear Him who can cast us into hell (Matt 10:28).

Do You Care About Jesus?

Jesus has the key to our life and eternal destiny. I’m care about you because God cared enough about me to send His Son to die in my place. This love has drawn me to the Savior and has changed my life for the better. The transforming truth of Jesus is important enough to me to risk a negative response from you on this very personal subject.

I hope you agree that in religion it is not who is right but what is right that ultimately matters. You can render to Jesus the “obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5). The “steps of faith” (Rom 4:12) to be right with the Lord, are:

I look forward to talking to you about soul-saving power of the gospel. I hope we can study the transforming word of Christ together. Also, please come visit us at church. You will find a warm welcome.